Designing Better Resources: Consumer Experiences, Priorities and Preferences Regarding Contemporary Nutrition Education Materials.

INTRODUCTION

Nutrition education materials are frequently used by dietitians to support counselling and education. Few studies have explored consumer perspectives regarding these resources and none in a contemporary setting post pandemic.

METHODS

Purposive sampling was used to recruit a range of Australian consumers to participate in seven focus groups (conducted between April 2022 and May 2024). Each group involved 6-10 participants. Transcripts were inductively coded and thematic analysis was used to identify recurrent themes that best reflected consumer experiences, priorities and preferences regarding contemporary consumer nutrition education materials. Latent and manifest analysis was conducted on annotations made by consumers on consumer nutrition education materials.

RESULTS

Consumers (n = 45) articulated four recurring themes: barriers to use (overwhelming volume of information, unclear purpose, credibility), desirable language (plain language, positive messaging), attention to content (minimal key messages, individualised and actionable materials, culturally applicable) and optimal layout and design (appealing and thoughtful visuals, signposting and flow, colour). A framework for the evaluation and development of nutrition education materials was developed based on consumer insights and relevant literature. This framework can be used to improve the quality of future education materials used to support nutrition counselling and education activities.

CONCLUSION

The findings from this study provide dietitians with practical guidance to design nutrition education materials that meet consumer needs and expectations.